Shades Of Thirteen

Phantasmagoria

I attended someone's funeral, and the entire family was engulfed in sorrow. Some were quietly weeping, others were sharing memories of the one who had passed. The next day, a puja was held, and all the officials, friends, and colleagues were invited along with their families.

I went with my princess and Maa. I met many of my colleagues there; a few of them, quite amusingly, were talking about work. Imagine that—standing at a funeral and still discussing targets and reviews.

I was holding a cup of coffee while speaking to everyone when Maa suddenly came and told me that the toilet flush wasn't working—it was badly choked.

Leaving the coffee on the table, I rushed to the washroom and tried to clean it. It wasn't easy, but I had no choice. Despite all my attempts, nothing worked—until a didi walked in and pressed the flush three times in quick succession, and everything cleared instantly. I suppose it was a tricky flush.

After travelling the entire day, I wanted a shower. Maa and Tutan were wandering around the venue while I went to bathe.
After my bath, I wore a light green and white T-shirt with white shorts.

Then I saw him. He had arrived with his family, and their room was right next to ours.

I stretched out on the bed, half-lying, and caught a glimpse of him in the mirror beside me. Slowly, his reflection came closer. I kept watching him, and suddenly he tapped my shoulder from behind and smiled.

I was stunned—how had he come out of the mirror? I turned around sharply.

He said, "Hey, hi."
I replied, "Hi."
He asked, "How are you?" while holding my hand.
I nodded and said "Okay," even though my heartbeat was loud enough to echo.
Breathing heavily, he pulled my hand and drew me closer.
I stepped towards him, startled, and our bodies touched.

He bent his head towards my right shoulder and inhaled softly. Then I felt two gentle, warm, velvety lips press against my skin—he kissed my shoulder.

His fingers slid into my hair as he held my head, pulling me even closer. Our eyes met, and for a long moment, everything stood still.
We were lost. He kissed me once... then again... and again. This time I kissed him back, and before I knew it, our lips were locked. We kissed deeply, our soft, wet lips melting into one another, sharing breath and warmth.
He cupped my face with both hands and kissed my forehead. Our foreheads touched, and suddenly our eyes filled with tears.

I never knew tears could feel so light, so happy. Four eyes were crying—crying for finally finding each other, crying because all the misunderstandings and distances were gone. Even as our lips met again, we were smiling through our tears.

To cry and smile at the same time... it is rare. But we lived that rare moment. And then came that tight embrace—the kind that speaks louder than words ever could.

We were lost in each other's arms, forgetting the world entirely, our lips entwined.

Just then, his mother, Maa, and Tutan walked in and asked what was happening.
We stood up and said, "We love each other."

His mother, surprisingly calm, asked, "Now what?"

I looked at him, then at his wife, and asked the same question—"Now?"

He smiled and said, "My wife has no issue with anything. She doesn't love me; she is busy with her own life." Even she seemed unbothered seeing us together.

He asked me if I would start a life with him—if I would marry him. His mother nodded with approval: "Yes, you both should."

He asked how we should begin. I suggested, "Let's take a 4BHK and all stay together under one roof."

My daughter immediately asked, "Where will I and Nanu stay?"
He answered gently, "You will have your room. My kids in the second. Your Nanu and my mother in the third. My wife can stay in the fourth."

I asked, confused, "And where will you and I stay?"
He smiled and said, "In each other's arms, my love."

Then he added, "But yes, we will have a room on the terrace—where the sun will wake us every morning, where I can watch you sleep in the moonlight, where we can love each other under the open sky and the stars. The universe will bless our love. I will love you till my last breath. Me and you will shine together like the stars."

He kissed me again—and suddenly a loud song started playing: 'Srivalli'.
I woke up and realised it was all a dream.

And in that moment I understood—if dreams can be so real, so beautiful, and so intensely alive... then I never wish to wake up at all.